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The Horrors of War Exposed in Homer?s Iliad

 

"There- Harpalion charged Menelaus - King Pylaemenes' son

Who'd followed his father into war at Troy

But he never reached his fatherland again.

He closed on Atrides, spear stabbing his shield

Right on the boss but the bronze could not drive through,

So back he drew to his ranks, dodging death, glancing

Left and right, fearing a lance would graze his flesh.

But Meriones caught him in full retreat, he let fly

With a bronze-tipped arrow, hitting his right buttock

Up under the pelvic bone so the lance pierced the bladder.

He sank on the spot, hunched in his dear companion's arms,

Gasping his life out as he writhed along the ground

Like an earthworm stretched out in death, blood pooling,

Soaking the earth dark red.  Hardy Paphlagonians,

Working over him, hoisting him onto a chariot,

Bore him back to the sacred walls of Troy...

Deep in grief while his father, weeping freely,

Walked beside them now.  No blood-price came his way.

Not for his son who breathed his last in battle." -Homer, The Iliad;  book 13, page 362, lines 742-760

 

 

            Homer, perhaps one of the greatest epic writers of all time, was a master in the art of manipulating the emotions of his audience using only the written word.  This passage, however, seems somewhat atypical of his writing style.  Strangely enough, he does not even once laud the beauty of war or the concept of kleos, which is a Greek term meaning glory and renown.  This is highly out of the ordinary for Homer, who seems to admire the manly feats of arms and courage that he perceives stem from war-like pursuits.  In nearly every other way the passage in question is in keeping with the Homeric style, containing an epic simile (lines 753-754), several epithets, and introducing a character that promptly dies.  Homer once again spoils the suspense of the moment (line 745), indicating that Harpalion would die swiftly even  before the outcome of his duel with Menelaus was actually detailed.  This passage is indeed a nearly flawless study of Homer's writing style, effectively forming a microcosmic entity within which several of the most definitive of Homer's stereotypical devices are featured.

 

            The profound sadness of this passage represents the single noticeable aberration from the formulaic writing style of Homer.  In a way, it is something of a flaw, a missed stitch, within the tapestry of epic tragedy that is the complete poem.  Normally, Homer paints war as an epic and worthy endeavor, and though some deaths are gruesome in their gory detail, more often than not the victor is glorified, and the loser remembered both in the poem itself and in the hearts of his comrades.  Even somewhat unimportant captains and minor lords still can find glory in the manner of their demise, fighting valiantly to raze Troy's walls, or destroy the mighty bastion of the Achaean ramparts.  Their deaths do not seem so pointless when put in context, transcending the line between murder and martyrdom with but a few words on Homer's part providing a catalyst for kleos.

 

In contrast to the standard "noble" death in battle, this passage contains a death scene totally not in keeping with Homer's standard formula.  Harpalion, a young Paphlagonian man, is speared trying to take the life of Menelaus, a renowned king of the Achaeans.  He fails in his task, yet though he is courageous and die-hard in his determination, Homer records brave Harpalion's death in such a way that the only emotion evoked is sadness.  The gory and inglorious death is only emphasized as being such by Homer's failing to somehow justify it as meaningful or worthy.  Rather than appearing glorious, his death seems to be a waste, and this seeming wastefulness does not do justice to the premature ending of a life.  Harpalion might as well have been fodder for Meriones' arrows, rather than a human being.  This is not the norm for Homer, who tends to repay both courage and devotion to either side's cause with glory, if not with long life.

 

Though Homer violates one of his mores by failing to glorify the death of young Harpalion, in nearly every other way he maintains his traditional devices in recording his demise.  Within the passage, Harpalion undergoes a graphic death, much the same as many heroes and captains undergo upon their introduction to the audience.  He is pierced by an arrow, which slants upward, virtually disemboweling him and causing him to instantly begin writhing in throes of agony.  His life-blood oozes out slowly, as he undergoes bitter pain, and none of his comrades are able to do more than watch helplessly.  Harpalion takes a long time dying,  and his father stands by weeping as his lifeless body is hoisted onto a chariot bound for Ilium.  This highly graphic and catharsis-inspiring death scene is further typified by the fact that Harpalion had received no previous mention in the annals of Homer, and like so many of the heroes of the Trojan war is featured only in the context of death.

 

            Also located within the passage is one of Homer's epic similes, which are featured throughout the poem, and are a central theme in all chapters and scenes.  Harpalion "...gasping out his life as he writhed along the ground / like an earthworm stretched out in death, blood pooling, / soaking the earth dark red..." (lines 753-754) is likely not the way he wanted to go.  This simile, though, is highly evocative of strong emotions and like most of Homer's similes deals with the natural world in a direct manner.  Because each simile is based on natural events or creatures, most people feel like they can relate to them in a basic sort of way.  This allows for each simile to maximize the potential for underlining the characteristics of whatever it is Homer is describing.  This tactic of empathic relation is used to its fullest throughout the poem in general, yet perhaps most effectively within the context of these similes.

In addition to the use of epic simile to inspire empathic relation on the part of the audience, Homer uses classic epithets and colorful adjectives to convey more to his readers than would normally come across in a simple recounting of the names featured within the poem.  In this passage, the Paphlagonians are dubbed "hardy" (line 755) possibly in order to maintain the rhythm of the poem, and yet likely also to tell something of this rather obscure tribe of the Trojan alliance.  The city of Troy itself is called "...to the sacred walls of Troy." (line 757)  Again, Ilium in this manner is even further glorified, and in some ways Homer subtly urges the audience to adopt a more favorable stance towards Troy, as not only is a young Trojan cut down by an arrow in the back, but also it is intimated that the Achaeans are attacking a "sacred" city.  From this, the reader may subconsciously that the Argives are committing a sacrilegious act, i.e. sacking the city of Troy.

 

Whether Homer is employing subtle methods of subconscious persuasion, or attaching epithets to flesh out his grand epic with color and grandeur, he is telling a truly epic tale.  Many elements hold constant throughout the poem, so much so that Homer has been said to use his "stock" tactics to the extent that his story becomes almost formulaic in nature.  In some cases, Homer strays from his normal style in favor of tangents that at times contradict his views on warfare, as in this case of young Harpalion.  These rare passages are enough to give one pause, and are certainly worthy of note in that they not only enliven the story but also serve to maintain the attention of the audience through sheer force of contrast.  This sad tale of a young man cut down in his prime might have been only a passing, fleeting glimpse into the horrors of war, but nevertheless it is a good reminder that war is not glorious as it is in the old tales...it is ugly and brutal, stomach-turning and heart-breaking.